Inside Impeachment—Diary of a Congressman
Inside Impeachment—Diary of a Congressman

Author: Honorable Clifford B. Stearns

Publisher: Archway Publishing

Published: 2023-09-05

Total Pages: 253

ISBN-13: 1665742526

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This diary provides an inside look at what many members of Congress privately think about impeachment from both a Republican and Democrat perspective and the huge burden of proof required to impeach a sitting President. A key point, yet so often ignored by both authors and commentators, is the extraordinary burden of proof for “high crimes and misdemeanors” that must be met to make a presidential impeachment even remotely possible. While the previous media commentors and book authors convey a cursory understanding of impeachment, they only scratch the surface of a much deeper issue, and that often leaves listeners with more questions than answers. This book will fill that void. Also, this account will be of immense use to current U.S. senators and representatives, and of great interest to historians and enthusiasts of political process. More than anything, however, this diary it will be appealing to a broad popular audience. While readers may not agree with some of the political stance on issues, the record of conversations and events will be valuable to all, regardless of partisan ideology. Perhaps the most important points from this book will be the lessons learned from the impeachment process. Every American should read this valuable book to understand how our constitution works. “Having served in Congress during the Impeachment of President Clinton, I find the diary of the impeachment process by Rep. Stearns fascinating and clearly an insider’s view from both sides of the political aisle. —Congressman Tim Petri “From a historical standpoint, this new book by Mr. Stearns on the impeachment process is a welcome addition to better understanding how the process in the House of Representatives really works. It also will provide insight if another impeachment is begun.” —Andy Glass, Contributing Editor, Politico, “As a Member of Congress who actually took part in the debate on Bill Clinton’s 1998–99 impeachment, Cliff Stearns vividly brings to life what was then only the second impeachment of a president in the history of the US. The entire process, its equivalent to an indictment by a grand jury, and the serious and highly personal exchanges of the House Members are much-needed guidelines to understand why impeachment did come up again and will in the future.” —John Gizzi, Senior White House Correspondent, Newsmax

The Impeachers
The Impeachers

Author: Brenda Wineapple

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2019-05-21

Total Pages: 577

ISBN-13: 0812998375

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times; The New York Times Book Review; NPR; Publishers Weekly “This absorbing and important book recounts the titanic struggle over the implications of the Civil War amid the impeachment of a defiant and temperamentally erratic American president.”—Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Soul of America When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and Vice-President Andrew Johnson became “the Accidental President,” it was a dangerous time in America. Congress was divided over how the Union should be reunited: when and how the secessionist South should regain full status, whether former Confederates should be punished, and when and whether black men should be given the vote. Devastated by war and resorting to violence, many white Southerners hoped to restore a pre–Civil War society, if without slavery, and the pugnacious Andrew Johnson seemed to share their goals. With the unchecked power of executive orders, Johnson ignored Congress, pardoned rebel leaders, promoted white supremacy, opposed civil rights, and called Reconstruction unnecessary. It fell to Congress to stop the American president who acted like a king. With profound insights and making use of extensive research, Brenda Wineapple dramatically evokes this pivotal period in American history, when the country was rocked by the first-ever impeachment of a sitting American president. And she brings to vivid life the extraordinary characters who brought that impeachment forward: the willful Johnson and his retinue of advocates—including complicated men like Secretary of State William Seward—as well as the equally complicated visionaries committed to justice and equality for all, like Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner, Frederick Douglass, and Ulysses S. Grant. Theirs was a last-ditch, patriotic, and Constitutional effort to render the goals of the Civil War into reality and to make the Union free, fair, and whole. Praise for The Impeachers “In this superbly lyrical work, Brenda Wineapple has plugged a glaring hole in our historical memory through her vivid and sweeping portrayal of President Andrew Johnson’s 1868 impeachment. She serves up not simply food for thought but a veritable feast of observations on that most trying decision for a democracy: whether to oust a sitting president. Teeming with fiery passions and unforgettable characters, The Impeachers will be devoured by contemporary readers seeking enlightenment on this issue. . . . A landmark study.”—Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Grant

Silent Hattie Speaks
Silent Hattie Speaks

Author: Hattie Wyatt Caraway

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 1979-07-09

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This Sinfionetta contains the basic ingredients of a Symphony, viz. and Allegro, a Scherzo, a slow movement and a final Allegro. These elements are compressed into a one-movement form and the final Allegro is a recapitulation of the first, albeit with considerable variation. There is also a short fugue, for strings alone, between the opening Allegro and the Scherzo, which consolidates the musical ideas used throughout the piece. This work may be played by a chamber ensemble with a string nonet, for which it was originally written, or with a full orchestral string section.

Comparative Constitutional Law
Comparative Constitutional Law

Author: Tom Ginsburg

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 681

ISBN-13: 0857931210

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This landmark volume of specially commissioned, original contributions by top international scholars organizes the issues and controversies of the rich and rapidly maturing field of comparative constitutional law. Divided into sections on constitutional design and redesign, identity, structure, individual rights and state duties, courts and constitutional interpretation, this comprehensive volume covers over 100 countries as well as a range of approaches to the boundaries of constitutional law. While some chapters reference the text of legal instruments expressly labeled constitutional, others focus on the idea of entrenchment or take a more functional approach. Challenging the current boundaries of the field, the contributors offer diverse perspectives - cultural, historical and institutional - as well as suggestions for future research. A unique and enlightening volume, Comparative Constitutional Law is an essential resource for students and scholars of the subject.

Unchecked
Unchecked

Author: Rachael Bade

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2022-10-18

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 0063040816

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A revealing, behind-the-scenes examination of how Congress twice fumbled its best chance to hold accountable a president many considered one of the most dangerous in American history. The definitive—and only—insider account of both Trump impeachments, as told by the two reporters on the front lines covering them for The Washington Post and Politico. In a riveting account that flips the script on what readers think they know about the two impeachments of Donald Trump, Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian reveal how—and why—congressional oversight failed when it was needed most. Unchecked weaves a vivid narrative of how House Democrats under the lead of a cautious speaker, Nancy Pelosi, hesitated for months to stand up to Trump—and then pulled punches in their effort to oust him in a misguided effort to protect themselves politically. What they left on the cutting room floor would come back to haunt them, as Republicans seized on their missteps to whip an uneasy GOP rank-and-file into line behind Donald Trump, abandoning their scruples to defend a president who some privately believed had indeed abused his power. Even after Trump incited a mob to violently attack the Capitol—a day the authors recount in minute-by-minute, stunning detail — Democrats pressured their own investigators to forego a thorough investigation in the name of safeguarding the Biden agenda. And Republicans, fearful of repelling a base they needed for re-election, missed their best moment to turn their backs on a leader they secretly agreed was destructive to democracy. Sourced from hundreds of interviews with all the key players, the authors of Unchecked pull back the curtain on how both parties pursued political expediency over fact-finding. The end result not only emboldened Trump, giving him room for a political comeback, but also undermined Congress by rendering toothless their most powerful check on a president: the power of impeachment. A dramatic and at times crushing work of investigative reporting, Unchecked is both a gripping page-turner of political intrigue and a detailed case study for historians and political scientists searching for answers about the unravelling of checks and balances that have governed American democracy for centuries.

The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson
The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson

Author: Michael Les Benedict

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9780393319828

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Probes into the efforts to remove Johnson from the presidency and details the results of the impeachment trial.

Impeachment
Impeachment

Author: Jon Meacham

Publisher: Modern Library

Published: 2018-10-16

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1984853791

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Four experts on the American presidency examine the first three times impeachment has been invoked—against Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton—and explain what it means today. Impeachment is a double-edged sword. Though it was designed to check tyrants, Thomas Jefferson also called impeachment “the most formidable weapon for the purpose of a dominant faction that was ever contrived.” On the one hand, it nullifies the will of voters, the basic foundation of all representative democracies. On the other, its absence from the Constitution would leave the country vulnerable to despotic leadership. It is rarely used, and with good reason. Only three times has a president’s conduct led to such political disarray as to warrant his potential removal from office, transforming a political crisis into a constitutional one. None has yet succeeded. Andrew Johnson was impeached in 1868 for failing to kowtow to congressional leaders—and, in a large sense, for failing to be Abraham Lincoln—yet survived his Senate trial. Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 after the House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against him for lying, obstructing justice, and employing his executive power for personal and political gain. Bill Clinton had an affair with a White House intern, but in 1999 he faced trial in the Senate less for that prurient act than for lying under oath about it. In the first book to consider these three presidents alone—and the one thing they have in common—Jeffrey A. Engel, Jon Meacham, Timothy Naftali, and Peter Baker explain that the basis and process of impeachment is more political than legal. The Constitution states that the president “shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors,” leaving room for historical precedent and the temperament of the time to weigh heavily on each case. This book reveals the complicated motives behind each impeachment—never entirely limited to the question of a president’s guilt—and the risks to all sides. Each case depended on factors beyond the president’s behavior: his relationship with Congress, the polarization of the moment, and the power and resilience of the office itself. This is a realist view of impeachment that looks to history for clues about its potential use in the future.